Army to investigate fire, blast in Fort Bonifacio

The Philippine Army (PA) has announced that it will conduct a detailed investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire and explosion which destroyed the Explosive Ordnance Division building of the Army Support Command (ASCOM) in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Wednesday morning.

Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, Army spokesperson, said the administrative investigation (for possible lapses) will be conducted by the ASCOM and the PA Inspector General, while the technical side (exact cause of the fire and explosion) will be handled by the Bureau of Fire Protection.

He also clarified that the fire and subsequent explosion took place not in the armory, as reported by some media entities, but in the EOD Battalion headquarters supply room.

Detoyato stressed that the supply room was two by two meters in dimension and made of pure concrete.

The PA spokesperson added that its walls are a foot thick.

Detoyato said that the supply room contains basic ammunition rounds and some C-4 explosives.

He added that the large blast, which caused the massive vibration, came from the exploding C-4 blocks.